I know I will never be able to predict where my brain will go with selecting a topic to write about and I like it that way because I can just go with whatever hits me as my mind wanders, (get it?—“Wandering Gray.”) The Fisherman will say that’s an understatement that my mind wanders, and that is a topic for another day.
Today’s topic is culinary in nature. The Fisherman and I could be described as “Foodies.” We both like to cook and we enjoy going out for a meal at places we discover. That also means we are always collecting recipes. Me, I tend to collect them in the form of cookbooks, but I also find them and collect them on Pinterest. One of my retirement goals has been to cook more and try some of those many recipes I’ve collected. The Fisherman, he also finds recipes and passes them along to me and gets excited about us trying them.
Now I’m going to get to where I rant and issue a warning: At least in my experience, I’m going to say beware of those so-called recipes you find on TikTok or posted elsewhere in the form of videos on Social Media. Especially the ones where they assure you measurements and amounts aren’t important, that you can just dump it all together in one bowl and bake it. Here’s my rant: Now that everyone has a smartphone in their hand, they apparently believe they are cooks because they can record a video of them dumping ingredients into a pan and throwing it in the oven for a guesstimated amount of time, then they post it everywhere on Social Media. Look, I get that some of them may just be sharing, but I also just retired from a position where I worked a lot with Social Media so I’m well-aware that there can be financial benefits to getting enough clicks and likes on a post and that’s what some of this is. Granted, to some degree it’s almost a “Buyer Beware” scenario, or more appropriately “Maker Beware.” If you venture forth with one of these concoctions just be ready for it to be a dud, and if you have an ounce of cooking skill within you and your inner Julia Child or Bobby Flay starts to tell you this mixture has some issues, follow your gut and add what your culinary brain is telling you to add or change.
The Fisherman found one of these, what I call “Dorm Room Experiments,” the other day on TikTok and said, “Let’s try it!” I should have known when the title was Ramen Lasagna. Hello? How hard is it to just simply make Lasagna? Well, when you’re a college kid on a budget or just a young person on a budget, with few cooking skills, that might not be so easy. Hey, even we old folks recall the days of eating Top Ramen on a budget. The only riff on them I knew of was one basic one I learned from my sister: You take a can of Cream of Chicken soup and make Top Ramen noodles and mix them into the soup (I need to make that for The Fisherman.) I can personally attest to how good that is, at least in my opinion, and back when I was scraping by in my first apartment, that combo fed me many nights, so I get it. This Ramen Lasagna, I can totally see how it came about: “Hey, I’m hungry for Lasagna, and I’m not sure how to make it, but I’ve got some Top Ramen Noodles so I’ll use them and pour on some marinara sauce, add some cheese, whipping cream, some pepperoni, more cheese, and throw it in the oven,….Oh, and I’ll film myself on my phone and post it everywhere on Social Media!”
I told The Fisherman I was game to try it, although I felt a twinge of guilt thinking of my Mom and her cooking skills that she taught me, and her great Lasagna that we ate on many Christmas Eves. We lost Mom last November and one my of treasures is the oak recipe box she put together for me a few years back with all of my favorite things she made. I just knew Mom was looking down on me going, “Lisa Renee’—Ramen Lasagna! You know better than that! Didn’t I teach you anything?! Just make real Lasagna!” Yeah, no matter how old you get, you can hear Mom’s voice shaming you!
As I saw this recipe that had no measurements/amounts, and I started putting it together, a voice kept telling me, “there’s not enough liquid to cook these noodles.” I KNEW I should have added something, like chicken broth, to the bottom of the baking dish to provide some added moisture to cook those Ramen noodles. Yes, there was Marinara sauce and whipping cream, but I still thought more liquid was needed. My culinary senses were right. While most of the noodles cooked, some didn’t. The Fisherman felt it wasn’t a total loss and even warmed it up the next day (that might have helped it.) He’s an adventurous good sport when it comes to cooking. Me? Well I guess maybe I’m an old curmudgeon. Like I said, I *get* cooking on a budget. I really do. Been there, done that, and bought the ramen noodles (and the Cream of Chicken Soup.) What I don’t get is thinking you have to record and post these videos and pass them off as legit cooking. Do they BELIEVE this is legit cooking? I get indignant I guess, for all of the great cooks I have known (like my Mom and grandmother) and the others I do know out there now really cooking. Those who pass on the recipes and cooking skills. I get giving cooking a try, I really do, but become a REAL cook. It’s not hard to learn. There are these things called books, cookbooks. Put down the phone and get a basic cookbook. End of rant and now I’m climbing down off of my box…make that case….of Top Ramen Noodles. You get a better deal when you buy them by the case!
Observations on getting used to being one of those gray-haired retired people 